Phantom of the Cabaret
by Catherine Morland
Summary: A girl named Christine is a cabaret dancer, who dreams of bigger and better things. Erik is an architect, deformed in an accident. Raoul is a young man, who trys to woo Christine on a bet from some friends. Modern retelling. Dedicated to Project Phantom.
1. Grand Opening

Phantom of the Cabaret

Chapter One

By Catherine Morland

Summery: A young girl named Christine is a cabaret dancer, who dreams of bigger and better things. Erik is an architect, deformed in an accident. Raoul is a young man, who trys to woo Christine on a bet from some friends. Modern retelling, and strong PG-13 rating.

Dedication:

I dedicate this phic to Project Phantom!

Charles came in through the door, holding several envelopes of different colors.

"Mail for you," he said, tossing an envelope at Erik, then sat down to go through the rest of the stack. Presently he selected an envelope that he hadn't discarded as trash, and slit it open, his eyes scanning it.

"We got an invite to go to the 'grand opening' of that new building we just built." He told Erik.

"Did you ever find out what it was going to be, yet?" Erik asked him absentmindedly, scanning his mail.

"A cabaret." Charles answered.

Erik almost choked on his coffee. "Why did we agree to the job?"

"We didn't know what it was before now."

"Why didn't we check??" Erik demanded.

Charles shrugged. "Are we going to go, or not?"

Erik groaned. "You know how sworn against these things I am."

"Yes, but it's always a tradition for us to go to the grand opening of building we architect." Charles reminded him.

Erik eyed him. "When is it?"

"Tonight, at 8."

"What time is it?"

Charles checked the gold watch dangling from his wrist.

"About 6:30."

Erik heaved a sigh. "Fine, we'll go. But not for long, and I'll just lurk about in the shadows as usual."

Charles grinned.

"And I don't want any comments from you." Erik stated firmly.

Charles shut his mouth, a sheepish smile on his face.

XoOxXoOx

Christine Daae listened to her best friend, Meg Giry talk, as she stretched her legs.

"And then he says..." Meg continued, as Christine stretched out her leg over her head.

"So I say..."

Christine only half-heartedly listened as she finished stretching, and started to slide her tights on, grimacing at the small snag.

"And then he goes..."

Finally managing to shimmy up the tights, she sat down and started to apply her makeup, putting copious amounts on her lips and eyes.

"So then he asks me for my number!" Meg squealed, showing a piece of paper in her hand. Christine beamed at her friend. "That's great!"

Meg did a split, grinning.

"Ladies, only 20 minutes left," a knock and a voice said, outside their dressing room door.

"Ok," Meg called. Then she turned back to Christine. "Are you excited??"

"Yeah, a bit." Christine said.

"A bit?!" Meg squealed, "That's it?"

"Well, a little more than that."

Meg lifted an eyebrow.

"Ok, I'm really nervous," she admitted.

Meg linked her arm through Christine's. "You'll be fine!" she told her, "You're the best dancer here, everyone says it!"

Christine gave a small whimper, and hugged Meg hard. "Thanks, Meg." She said softly.

XoOxXoOx

"Hey, Philippe!" Raoul de Chagny called to his older brother. "You know that cabaret we donated money to? Well, we got invited to their grand opening!"

Philippe came out of his bedroom, fastening his cufflinks.

"Philippe, why do you always insist on wearing a suit?" Raoul whined, "This is a nightclub, not an opera!"

Philippe stiffened. It was apparent that Raoul had hit a sore spot. "Because nightclub, or opera, I insist on looking presentable. You would do well to take a leaf out of my book." He said, eyeing Raoul's clothes...if you could call them clothes.

"For god's sake, Raoul, you aren't going to wear your pajamas to a club, are you?" Philippe demanded.

"No, I'll change." Raoul said, battling with the remote.

"You'd better do it now, it opens in 15 minutes." Philippe glared at him sternly.

Raoul sighed and stood up, stretching his arms up, and padded off to his room to get changed.

XoOxXoOx

"Some club, eh?" Charles shouted to Erik over the din.

"Why don't we find a table?" Erik yelled back.

Charles nodded and set off, picking a table at the side of the room, but close enough to see the stage.

Erik sat down, clutching the sides of his mask as if scared someone would rip it off him.

"Erik, loosen up!" Charles still had to yell, even though they were sitting across from each other at a table. "Everyone's too wasted to care about a strange man in a mask!"

Erik released his death grip on his mask. He and Charles were good friends. They were both genius architects, business partners over a long period of time. When Erik had been seriously injured in that architect incident long ago...(here Erik shuddered)...Charles had been his best friend. They loved each other like brothers, and would do anything for each other. Charles was anything but repulsed by Erik's face. He had helped him, nursed him, and defended him. Erik remembered a line from one of his favorite books – Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens.

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' he mused.

He was snapped out of his faze when the noise got (if possible) louder. Every man in the place seemed to be stomping his feet and hitting his hands on the table. Whistles were heard throughout the crowd, as was chanting. Erik was completely confused as to what they were doing until he noticed the woman onstage, a spotlight shined on her.

"Oh my god..." he groaned.

She was doing a split, her chest pressed to the floor. The low cut outfit in some places (and high in others) made Erik turn his face away, embarrassed. He was aware that Charles was staring at her, fascinated. Mortified, Erik started to play with his napkin, folding it into an origami flower. Finally having enough (and averting his glance from the woman on stage who was straddling a chair) he got up, whispered to Charles that he was leaving, and he left, with a swirl of cape, and a flash of mask.

A/N: Hey, pleeease R&R. I know the 'retelling' has been done to death, but I thought this was a unique idea, and I HAD to write it. Don't worry...it gets better!!


	2. Did ever maiden wake

Phantom of the Cabaret

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do own Phantom of the Opera! I mean, so many people have made up different ones, it's hard to tell who owns what. Just take my word on that...

Once outside, Erik breathed in the cool night air, free to walk around the city, free from smoke and shouts, and alone to do what he liked. For Erik was alone. The street was deserted, as all the men were inside the cabaret, and all the women were at home, not aware that their husbands were in fact, not working late. Ignorance is bliss.

Erik's hood was up, to deflect any curious stares, but as the street was empty, he lowered it, walking briskly, not entirely sure of his destination. The snow was melting, and it looked a forlorn place, Erik thought as he dodged a puddle the size of the Atlantic Ocean.

Erik walked briskly, but after a while his footsteps lagged, and he began to think about that girl on the stage.

'She was quite pretty,' Erik thought, 'And if she would dedicate her time to something more worthwhile, she could be an excellent dancer.'

He couldn't believe he was thinking this, and he shook his head, as if to see if the forbidden thoughts would fly out his ears. The only thing flying was the slush on the ground, as Erik kicked it, angry with himself.

'But she was pretty,' he managed to think.

Then he stopped, for he realized that he was standing back in front of the cabaret. He stepped back against the wall of the pawnshop opposite the street, as he realized someone was coming out of the side door of the cabaret. It was said 'pretty' dancer.

She scuffed at the ground with her feet, and looked around the street. She didn't notice Erik, and, thinking she was alone, she began to sing softly.

_I'm just a girl who can't say no._

_I'm in a terrible fix!_

_I always say 'c'mon, let's go!'_

_Just when I oughta say nix!_

Erik suddenly realized she was singing from the musical, Oklahoma. How befitting that she sing that song.

_When a fellow tries to kiss a girl,_

_I know she oughta give his face a smack!_

_But as soon as someone kisses me,_

_I kinda sorta wanna kiss him back!_

She had a lovely voice, Erik had to admit. Wonderful tone quality and beautiful pitch. She was perfectly in tune. She continued to sing other songs from other musicals. It was almost as if she was warming up. The girl still did not know that Erik was following her.

Suddenly, she took an abrupt change from singing from musicals, and began to sing from Gilbert and Sullivan's _Pirates of Penzance_.

Erik could tell she really loved to sing. She gave it her all, and she sounded magnificent, even in the cramped street, where she was singing to the night sky.

_How beautifully blue the sky_

_The glass is rising very high_

_Continue fine I hope it may,_

_And yet it rained but yesterday_

_Tomorrow it may pour again_

_I hear the country wants some rain_

_And people say I know not why _

_That we shall have a warm July._

This part was sung fast, and the girl took a deep breath when she was done. The next part was slower, and expressive.

_Did every maiden wake from dream of homely duty_

_To find her daylight break with such exceeding beauty?_

_Did ever maiden close her eyes on waking sadness_

_To dream of such exceeding gladness?_

She switched her voice again, to sing the next line, which was sung by a man.

_Ah yes! Ah yes! This is exceeding gladness._

Then, yet again she switched, back to the fast part.

_How beautifully blue the sky_

_The glass is rising very high_

_Continue fine I hope it may_

_And yet it rained but yesterday_

_Tomorrow it may pour again_

_I hear the country wants some rain_

_And people say I know not why_

_That we shall have a warm July._

Erik realized that he was humming along with her on the next line, which was the man singing again, Frederic.

_Did every pirate roll his soul in guilty dreaming,_

_And wake to find that soul with peace and virtue beaming?_

Erik realized that he had started to sing along softly with the girl.

Then she changed back to the twittering part.

_How beautifully blue the sky_

_The glass is rising very high_

_Continue fine I hope it may_

_And yet it rained but yesterday_

The girl stopped, at the part where Mabel and Frederic sing together, and deciding to sing Mabel's part, continued. Erik was softly singing Frederic's part with her.

_Did ever maiden wake from dream of homely duty_

_Did ever pirate loathed forsake his hideous mission_

_To find her daylight break with such exceeding beauty?_

_To find himself betrothed to lady of position?_

The girl had not yet realized that Erik was singing, not realized that he was there.

_Ah, yes!_ They both sang.

_Ah, yes! Ah, yes!_

Erik and the girl both sighed deeply when they were done. Then, Erik slipped away, leaving her standing there, unaware of the masked man whom she had sung a duet with.

XoOxXoOx

Raoul sat at a table with Philippe and a few of his other friends. They were all guzzling beer (except Philippe, who was daintily smoking a cigarette), and making bets about absolutely nothing rational at all.

"I'll bet you ten bucks that you won't ask that girl over there for a lapdance," Raoul's friend, Gregory slurred.

"You're on." Raoul lay the money on the table and went over to the girl. They talked for a few minutes, and she smiled, leading him back to his seat and sitting on his lap, as she picked up his beer and drank from it.

Gregory reluctantly handed over the money, and the girl smiled.

"What's your name?" Gregory asked her.

"Meg." She replied, almost shouting because of the noise in the room. She stayed sitting on Raoul's lap (although she didn't give him a lapdance), and hung out with all the guys, smiling, and talking, and drinking all their beer in turn. More bets were made, and more bets were won.

Soon Meg laid down fifty dollars on the table.

"I bet you fifty dollars that none of you can seduce my friend, Christine." She winked.

All of the men promptly declined the bet, but Raoul. He thought about it a few minutes, and said "Done."

Meg smiled and pecked him on the cheek. She took her fifty dollars back, and said, "You have one month."

With one last wink, she left.

My Domain

I tried really hard this time to make this longer. I don't know how many of you are familiar with G & S, but I love them! Especially the Mikado, but I'll put that in later...


	3. Raoul

I'm just in the updating mood, what can I say…

Phantom of the Cabaret – Chapter 3

"Christine, you really should get out more." Meg told her as Christine started to put on her outfit.

"Meet some men, or something."

Christine rolled her eyes.

"I know! Why don't we go out clubbing tonight or something?"

"As if one club that we work at isn't enough?" Christine raised her eyebrows.

"This will be purely for leisure. We'll eat, drink, and be merry, without having to succumb to the wishes of old fat men who can't get it anywhere else."

"Wow. Sounds like fun."

"Christine," Meg whined, "It _will_ be fun!"

Christine capped the mascara. "I can't remember the last time I've ever had 'fun'. You know I work two jobs. I can't do anything tonight, because I have to wake up early tomorrow anyway."

Meg sighed. "Fine." She said, and gave up persuading her. "But there is this nice man who donated money to this place, and I met him yesterday."

"And did he give you his number?" Christine started applying dark red lipstick.

"No, he's actually interested in you."

"Well, I'm not interested in him. I never am interested, you should know that, Meg."

"Well, he's ever so handsome…"

"That's nice." Christine now was applying blush.

Meg sat down. "Christine, you haven't even met him!"

"And I already don't like him."

"Oh, c'mon!" Meg was whining again. "His name's Raoul, and I believe his has a title as well, although I've forgotten it already."

"I could care less. Interesting name, though. I used to know a boy named Raoul, when I was a little girl." Christine stopped her reminiscing when she noticed Meg, though. "Meg! You haven't even got your costume on!"

"Fine, fine." Meg slowly started to put it on.

"Hurry up, Meg, we're on in a few minutes!"

XoOxXoOx

"I'm off!" Charles called.

"Where are you going?" Erik looked up from his laptop, where he was designing their latest building project.

"Back to that cabaret."

"Why?"

"It's rather interesting…and besides, we did build it."

"All right, whatever. But we have to wake up early to get started on this building."

"Okay. What is it this time?"

"Hopefully not a cabaret. I think it's a coffeehouse or something."

"Interesting."

"Rather." Erik went back to the laptop.

XoOxXoOx

"Raoul, what are you doing?" Philippe asked. "Is that my suit?"

"Yes, I need to borrow it for tonight."

"Why are you borrowing my suit? Where are you going?"

Raoul adjusted the tie, not wanting to meet his elder brother's eyes. "That cabaret."

"You better not mess it up." Philippe warned.

"I won't."

"Why do you need it, anyway?"

"It's for a bet." Raoul muttered, and left quickly.

"Why don't I trust you?" Philippe murmured as he left.


End file.
